Former Champion Ian Freeman Admits to Tax Fraud Charges

Former British champion and UFC veteran Ian “The Machine” Freeman looks to be making a return to the cage, but of a different sort than the one that made him famous.

Freeman, appearing before the Durham Crown Court in the U.K., pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion, and jointly with his wife, Angela, also admitted to tax credit fraud, according to BBC News via FightOpinion.com.

The pair allegedly claimed that they were living solely off of the income of Freeman’s wife for the past decade or so, totaling a tax fraud tab of more than £21,000, nearly $30,000 U.S. It is believed that Freeman stopped paying taxes in 1997.

Freeman and his wife are to be sentenced on March 3, when they face possible jail time.

Freeman first came to international prominence as a professional mixed martial artist with his win over current UFC interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC 38 in London. He last competed at Cage Rage 26, also in London, in May of last year, when he defeated Paul Cahoon.